The Mostly True Adventures of Ellie & Rico: Riverside Park NYC

''The Mostly True Adventures of Ellie & Rico" is an adorable tale about a raccoon named Rico and a little girl named Ellie. Rico longs to be loved and part of a human family - just like the dogs he sees playing every morning in Manhattan's Riverside Park. Ellie walks there every morning with her parents, and her (current) favorite pastime is standing outside the gated dog park and watching all the ruffs romp and play - all while pleading with her parents to please get one for their family.

After closely observing Ellie for several days, Rico is determined to become the perfect family pet by completely changing how he looks and acts. Initially, Ellie and Rico are both thrilled when she is finally allowed to adopt the stray "dog" (a.k.a. Rico). A few days later he gets soaked in a rain storm which unmasks his real identity - An adorable and lovable raccoon! Both Ellie and Rico realize he is not meant to live inside and needs the freedom to run wild. He also feels absolutely horrible for being deceitful and decides it wasn't worth all the hurt it cost in the end. Ellie tells Rico she wants to continue their close friendship forever, and visits him all the time at "their" favorite park. Rico learned a valuable lesson for us all - Being true to ourselves and those around us is paramount for living a happy and fulfilling life. This timeless tale is sure to become a bedtime favorite as it delights both children and adults of all ages.

Illustrator Lara Saldana drew the most precious and touching artwork. I literally laughed-out-loud when I saw her priceless depiction of Rico in disguise.

With much appreciation to NetGalley and Thomas Oliver for a free download in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. #TheMostlyTrueAdventuresofEllieRicoRiversideParkNYC #NetGalley, #ThomasOliver.

This is an adorably sweet story in which the reader/listener gets to follow along with a curious and somewhat lonely raccoon. He decides he wants to find out what he's been missing, so he awakes in the early morning hours instead of being up at night, and His adventure begins. There'll be one surprise after another, much to raccoon's delight, and as his journey continues you'll watch as raccoon becomes another animal, gets a name, gets a family, and then makes a best friend for life. The Mostly True Adventures of Ellie & Rico: Riverside Park NYC will make a wonderful addition to any family's library. Happy Reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Oliver for this Arc.
The review and opinions are solely my own